Backwards From Infinity
by Iugulare Mortuos
Summary: It wasn't fair to call Tony a bleeding heart. A philanthropist, sure, but bleeding heart implied a naive soft-heartedness that he wasn't sure he qualified for. Although, to be honest, if he'd known beforehand that trying to help a scared kid control his powers would end up with the Avengers knee-deep in New York City's criminal underground, he probably still would have done it.


When it came to nightclubs, Tony preferred ones like Club Impulse for the same reason a lot of other people hated them: he couldn't hear himself think.

Alcohol and smoke and lust saturated the air while the bass drowned out all but the loudest patrons. Bodies ground together, pressed close enough on the crowded dance floor to taste the liquor on your partner's breath. He could lose himself in the heat and excitement of it all—pretend nothing had changed since he was young and stupid.

There was lipstick on his mouth by this point, he was sure. He'd lost track of how long it had been since he got here, and of how many people he'd kissed in the last fifteen minutes. Someone's hands were on his hips, thumbs hooked through his belt loops. Their face was little better than a blur of features, mixing together with every other person he'd snuck off to a shadowy corner with tonight.

His hands found their waist, pushing up the mesh shirt barely covering their chest, but he felt stiff. It was repetitive, mechanical, a routine of searching skin with chapped lips and tangling fingers in hair backlit by technicolored lights. He could have been making out with any person at the club and felt no different than he did right now.

Still he pulled them closer and explored, letting hands warmed by the heat of so many bodies in such a small space wander across his skin and nails too sharp to be pleasurable leave stinging scratches on his back and sides.

And all at once, it was over. He pressed his back to the wall and stared out at the other patrons, at the couples dancing in tandem, movements more fluid for all the alcohol in their systems.

He wondered how much more he needed to drink to feel uninhibited enough to join them.

A pair of eyes at the bar caught his attention. They were the same vibrant, electrifying shade of blue as the neon sign outside. He held eye contact with the stranger, trying to gauge the glassy sheen to their eyes as transfixed or simply unfocused. It was neither, he decided after a minute when they didn't look away.

The bartender threw a rag at them, and just like that, the spell was broken. They spun around on the barstool and leaned over to order a drink.

It only took a few seconds for Tony to find himself sliding onto the stool next to them, calling to the bartender with an offer to pay for their order.

She laughed. "He works here. Owner's boyfriend and all that jazz." A lopsided grin flashed across her face. It didn't reach her eyes. She slid a lowball glass across the counter before walking off to serve someone at the other end of the bar.

He caught the glass and downed the whiskey in a few quick sips. The glassy look in his eyes was back. "I can talk for myself." He sounded stilted and uncertain. His back was stiff, free arm held against his body, hand clenched tightly enough to turn his knuckles white.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Tony shifted on the stool so he was a little further away. He put one foot down, ready to leave if he'd overstepped any boundaries.

A hand shot out towards his chest before he could get up, stopping just short over his arc reactor. "No! You're—" The word caught in his throat. He swallowed and started again. "You're fine. I'm just not really myself right now." Slowly, shakily, he brought his arm back to his body, gaze fixed on the muted glow leaking through Tony's shirt. "I'm Kelley. You?"

Somehow, it was a comfort that Kelley didn't recognize him. "Tony." He offered his hand, but Kelley just stared at it until he dropped it back to his side. Clearing his throat, he shifted a bit closer again. "How long have you been working here?"

"Six years."

"Really? I wouldn't have put you past twenty."

Kelley giggled, bubbly but tense. "I get that a lot," he said, bringing the empty glass up to take a drink. He paused when the ice hit his lips and awkwardly set it back on the counter. "I'm actually twenty-four, but my mutation does make me look younger."

Tony couldn't help his look of surprise. From what he knew, mutants weren't usually so open about their status. He tried to think of something to say, but he came up with nothing.

"Wait." Kelley tore his eyes away from the arc reactor and inspected his expression. "You do know Club Impulse is a mutant club, right? That's about the only reason people come here." He fiddled with the end of his braid, face twisting in thought. "Tony…" The color drained from his cheeks. His gaze dropped back to the arc reactor. "Tony Stark. Iron Man."

Tony looked around once more, finally seeing the patrons for what they were. Now that he was actually looking, he realized that he might be the only human here.

"You shouldn't be here."

The air around him turned dead, and he felt the urge to get out of the club as soon as he could. "I should be going then, shouldn't I?" he replied, sliding off the barstool.

Kelley got up and glanced frantically around him. "Yeah. You should." He waited for Tony to start towards the door, and then he followed. Once they were outside, he stopped beside the door, where the bouncer stood nursing a cigarette. He exchanged a look with his colleague, who shrugged and wandered off around the corner. "Um, before you leave, though, can I ask you something?"

Tony nodded.

"You're a tech genius, and your arc reactor-" Kelley trailed off, eyes glassing over as he clenched his fists at his sides. A moment passed, and he shook his head sharply. The glassy sheen faded. He relaxed his fists. "Sorry. It's hard to focus." He took a step back and crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "I have no control of my powers. I absorb electricity through skin contact, so any living thing I touch dies. I was hoping—since technology is kind of your specialty and no one else I've asked can do it—that you might…" He trailed off again and took another step back, until his back was against the wall.

"You want me to make something to nullify your powers," Tony finished for him. At the stiff nod that followed, he rubbed his chin while he thought. If Kelley absorbed electricity, that must have meant he functioned as ground. That would have to be the starting point: redirecting electricity away from his body and to true ground. It'd be difficult, but certainly not impossible. Enlisting Bruce's help would be the best option, then they could run some simulations and make a few prototypes. He gave Kelley a quick once-over, taking stock of his size. "Might be an interesting project. I'll see what I can come up with."

Kelley sighed heavily, and his posture relaxed a bit. "Thank you."

"I will need to run some tests, though. Can you stop by Avengers Tower tomorrow afternoon?"

Although he seemed taken aback, Kelley quickly stuttered out, "Yeah. Yeah, I can do that. Is four-ish alright?"

On instinct, Tony held out a hand to seal the deal. He realized his mistake when Kelley shrunk further against the brick wall. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then," he said, pulling his hand back to rest at his side. With that, he headed over to his Audi. As he closed the door behind him, he looked over at where Kelley stood beside the door.

The bouncer had wandered back, still smoking the same cigarette. Kelley stood staring after him. They exchanged another look after a moment, and then Kelley went back inside.

Tony pulled down the sun visor and checked his neck and face for lipstick.

"JARVIS, what can you find on Club Impulse?"


End file.
